The Season Ending Big 4

I'm not one to brag, not in the traditional sense anyway. My form of bragging tends to be focused on data. I swam/ bike/ ran this much distance and I felt good/ great/ pansy. When I report race results, again, I focus on the data. What place? How many people? How many chicks passed me? What place in my age group? Rarely do I feel a sense of accomplishment in which I actually feel I am better than another. Even if I finished ahead of you, had a faster _______ (insert bragging right here), I still don't think that I'm better than you. Quite the opposite. I normally feel that pretty much everyone on the planet is better than me.

Occasionally there comes an accomplishment that I want to share. Yes, I am bragging a bit. But, understand, it's only because this has never happened to me before. I have been a triathlete since the turn of the century. I have been a dedicated triathlete since 2003. I have been an Ironman triathlete since 2007. Not only has the 2011 season been my busiest triathlon season, I did something that I had not done before. This simple fact alone may be a reason to count my season a success, despite my horrid experience in several races and relative suckiness.

My triathlon season started off at Keuka Lake, where I did the Olympic Distance event. Shortly thereafter, I developed a knee problem. It started to resolve itself just in time to do the Musselman Sprint Distance event. That race didn't go as well as planned, but it I had a good time anyway. Next up was the big race of the year (both literally and metaphorically), Ironman Lake Placid. The knee injury manifested itself making the run more excruciating than expected. I hated it so much that I signed up again next year. After that disappointment, I signed up for a few shorter races. I culminated the 2012 season, part 2 with Half Ironman Syracuse. Upon crossing the line, I had done all 4 major triathlon distances in the same season.

I don't know why, but I am rather proud of this accomplishment. See, I kinda live in my own world. I have a warped sense of reality. I think that I am mostly right and only occasionally wrong. Most people completely misunderstand my genius, despite it's overwhelming obviousness. I can fix most problems with very minimal thought. Just ask and I'll tell you how. Luckily for you, I am also humble. So take this next sentence with those facts in mind... I am a god! I don't think that there are many people in the world who have done this before.

Okay, I know that there has been at least one other person who has done it before (I can't fathom a universe where I would be the first). But, that information is completely unconfirmed. For 1, USAT doesn't really publish this data. For 2, most triathletes probably don't have blogs in which they discuss this sort of thing (I don't read enough to confirm that last thought). For 3, triathlon is rather expensive and the majority of Americans cannot afford it (coming as an unofficial DINK, what else have I got to spend my meager salary on?). For 4, did I mentioned that I am isolated from the rest of the triathlon world? There's a good chance that every 2 out of 3 triathletes do this on a weekly basis. But, since I don't really get out that much (it's Friday night and I am blogging), I actually have no idea.

Here's the thing: Now that I have done the Big 4, I don't know what I am going to do for the rest of the season. What else have I got to accomplish? I've done the Sprint. I've done the Oly. I've done the HIM. I've done the IM. In a matter of speaking, I'm done. I have no where else to go. I might as well give up now. Luckily for me, I don't have much of a choice in the matter. Whether I like it or not, my season is over. Fini. Kaput. There are simply no more races to be had. Triathlon is officially over north of the Mason-Dixon line. The sun has moved to the southern hemisphere. Darkness outlasts daylight. Temperatures are plummeting. There simply is no more 2011 Triathlon season. I might as well start planning next year...

(To be continued)